Rebelling Against the Algorithm

Today I staged a small rebellion against the A.I. overlords.

I’m not sure if Garmin was punishing me for walking on my rest day yesterday, or if I unknowingly hiccupped in my sleep, but this morning it served up a baffling recommendation: a 42-minute base run at 9:36 pace.

For context, Garmin Coach has been fairly consistent up to now. When I first started using it back in July, my base pace was set around 9:20 ± 30 seconds. That held steady all the way through the Old Settlers Day race. After the race, I reset the plan and my base pace dropped to 8:55—totally logical, since my race outperformed expectations and my VO₂ max was climbing.

It stayed at 8:55 for a while, then one day nudged to 9:05. Again, fine. But 9:36? That’s not even in the same zip code as my actual easy pace. For me, 8:50 is still a comfortable base run, while 9:36 is firmly in recovery territory.

So instead of skipping the workout (or hopping or galloping it), I decided to run the workout by feel. To mix things up, I ran my usual 5-mile loop in reverse for the first time—meaning the hills would hit at mile 4 instead of mile 2.

The first few minutes were in the low 9s, but as soon as I got an alert telling me 8:50 was “too fast,” all bets were off. Mile splits:

• Mile 1: 8:50

• Miles 2 & 3: 8:28 each

• Mile 4: 8:02 (despite a brief knee ache that vanished after a 10-second stretch)

• Mile 5: 7:34

I finished 5.09 miles in 42 minutes at an 8:15 average pace. Easy effort overall, with a little push at the end. Running zeitgeist may preach the 80/20 rule, but this Garmin plan feels closer to 90/10—or maybe even 95/5— very little intensity baked in.

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Takeaways

• If something hurts, stop. A quick pause and stretch often solves it. Old me would have stubbornly pushed through, thinking even a brief stop made the run “not count.” Turns out, listening to my body works better.

• Running without headphones is underrated. I still use them occasionally for long runs, but lately I’ve been enjoying the quiet—just me, my breathing, and a wandering mind.

• Cadence matters. Since July 12, I’ve been focusing on upping my steps per minute. My average cadence jumped from 171 SPM (January–July) to 174 in August, and now 175 for September. A small increase, but enough to make my hip pain vanish. Whether it’s better form or simply more efficient mechanics, I’ll take it.

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We’ll see what my defiance earns me in Garmin’s weekend recommendations. If I had to guess, some sort of passive-aggressive recovery run is on the horizon.

The Quiet Miles That Add Up

I woke up this morning, checked my plan, and—no surprise—it was a rest day. What did surprise me a little was how good I felt. No real soreness, no stiffness, no fatigue dragging me down. Honestly, I could have laced up and gone for a run without any issues. But the reason I feel this good is because I’ve been sticking to the plan—dialing things back when the schedule says so instead of always pushing.

That’s been a recurring theme lately: learning to trust the process. Garmin throws me curveballs with pacing tweaks, my body gives me feedback in real time, and somewhere in the middle I’m finding that balance between discipline and flexibility.

So instead of forcing a run, I went for a brisk walk—3 miles at a 13:34 pace, heart rate steady in the 90–100 range. Just enough to get the legs moving, blood flowing, and enjoy the morning. Walking used to be a regular part of my training back when I was in peak shape, and I’d forgotten how much those “little” miles add up. One walk doesn’t seem like much, but over weeks and months it becomes a quiet training boost.

Really, though, it’s not about the numbers. It’s about the fact that I wanted to get out the door today. That’s something I haven't been taking for granted lately—and it’s what keeps the whole journey moving forward.

Listening to the Plan vs. Listening to the Body

Yesterday’s workout left its mark. When I headed out today for what Garmin Coach had prescribed—34 minutes at a 9:00 pace—I could feel the fatigue right away. My legs wanted nothing to do with that pace, and I opened closer to 9:20.

But, as often happens, a few minutes in the stiffness began to fade. My stride loosened, the rhythm returned, and soon I was moving along in the mid-8:30s. With a little push in the closing stretch, I ended up averaging 8:32 pace.

I should have stopped at 34 minutes, but knowing a recovery day was already on the calendar for tomorrow gave me the green light to tack on another 12 minutes, finishing with 5.39 miles. Garmin, of course, had its own say afterward: “You’ve been working hard—consider rest or recovery.”

The watch isn’t wrong. Even though I often think of an easy 4–5 miles as recovery in itself, the deeper fatigue is starting to reveal itself as these runs stack up. Tomorrow’s plan is officially “recovery,” but in reality it’ll be a test of how well I listen to my body.

The training plan gives structure, but the story unfolding is really about learning when to push, when to hold back, and how to string the days together without burning out. Yesterday’s effort feeds into today’s tired legs, and what I choose tomorrow will set the tone for the next harder effort on the horizon.

Rebooting the Origin Story

A superhero’s origin story is often one of the most fascinating parts of the character. There’s a reason Marvel keeps rebooting Spider-Man every few years, or why the Rocky franchise somehow made it to nine (maybe ten?) films.

For me, 2025 has felt like the latest reboot in my own fitness saga. The pattern is familiar: I let my body slip into disrepair, eventually find the spark to get back in shape, struggle for months, then—slowly—motivation turns into obsession. That’s when the “superpower” unlocks.

This year, I can feel it happening again. Runs that once left me gasping now feel effortless. I’m holding hard paces for multiple miles without breaking down, even finishing long runs in an all-out sprint. Some of it is measurable, but some of it is just… a feeling. Like energy pulsing through my veins—lighter joints, more stamina, a spring in my step.  

Of course, it’s not just a vibe. The numbers back me up. My VO₂ max climbed from 42 at the start of the year to nearly 52 today. My estimated 5K pace has dropped by almost four minutes. My monthly step count has jumped by 40–50K steps compared to last year, and not just from running. I’ve noticed I’m more likely to take an extra walk, even after a morning run, simply because I want to. More energy, better mood—it all adds up.

The toughest piece of the puzzle has been weight. I’ve lost around 8–10 pounds this year, but the trend hasn’t been smooth. It feels like I plateau at a number for months, then—overnight—the scale drops a couple pounds, and I hover again. Day-to-day fluctuations make sense with water and digestion, but the “step-down pattern” over weeks still puzzles me.

I don’t track calories obsessively, but I eat reasonably well and exercise a lot. By all logic, that should translate into steady, predictable weight loss. Yet my body seems calibrated to a set point, only occasionally hitting the “reset” button and shifting down. Cutting out alcohol a few years ago hardly budged the scale either. Age and metabolism definitely factor in, but one thing’s clear: the more miles I put in—and the more I harness those exercise endorphins to keep food cravings in check—the more progress I see.

Right now, I’m chasing the 170s. My lowest weigh-ins so far have been 181 and 182, both within the last week. That’s close enough to know I’m knocking on the door. Dropping another 10–12 pounds will get me where I should be. Another 20? That’s where I want to be.

This may not be the final chapter in the saga, but it definitely feels like the beginning of a powerful new arc.

Training Log: Hero Mode Unlocked:

Yesterday I peeked ahead at my training plan and saw today’s workout was supposed to be 8 x 1:00 at 6:30 pace. But when I went to start, Garmin had quietly adjusted it to 8 x :40 at 6:15 pace. I’m still baffled by this algorithm—how it decides to make such nuanced tweaks is beyond me.

As I’ve mentioned before, Garmin is far more likely to schedule me a recovery run than a hard effort. So when it finally throws a workout my way, I try to take full advantage. Today I ran the warm-up, intervals, recoveries, and cooldown all faster than prescribed, finishing with 7.02 miles at 7:38 pace.

For perspective: almost exactly a year ago (September 7, 2024), I was just starting to rebuild fitness. I decided to “hammer” a 7-miler, went out too hot, pushed into fatigue, and ended with 7 miles at 7:47 pace.  At the time, I was proud of it—it felt like a milestone.

Today, I covered the same distance a full minute faster—and it felt way easier. Progress like this feels like another chapter in my superhero reboot. During this build phase, I’m steadily unlocking new levels of fitness—each week revealing a fresh achievement that fuels the fire of my motivation. For now, the momentum feels endless, and I know it will carry me forward for quite a while.

But at some point, the story shifts. I’ll peak, or maybe plateau. The milestones won’t come as quickly or as often. That’s when the real challenge begins—not in chasing new highs, but in learning to hold steady. That’s where balance matters most. To stay satisfied with maintaining a strong, sustainable level of fitness, instead of flying too close to the sun like Icarus.

Long Run + Cutdowns: Finding Efficiency

On Saturday, I planned to go out for my first long run of over 10 miles in years. After dropping Maya off at the track for XC practice, I headed out. About three miles in, I got a message from the coaches: post-practice icing was canceled since it was already pretty chilly (upper 40s to low 50s — in other words, perfect running weather).  That meant I had to adjust my plans and cut the run to about 1 hour 20 minutes. I quickly recalibrated my route and ended up with 9.17 miles in 1:18:34 (8:34 pace). Perfect timing — I wrapped up just as XC practice was finishing. Parent-of-the-year points: achieved.

A few quick notes on the run:

• I’m always happy when I hit or beat 8:34 pace on longer runs. At 7.0 mph, it’s a treadmill standby for me — nice round number, efficient, sustainable, and fast enough to keep things moving.

• Execution felt solid: opened with 8:31 and 8:40, eased into an 8:56 3rd mile, then gradually negative-split down to 8:24 and 7:57 for miles 8 and 9.

• Heart rate averaged 145, effort stayed easy, and I finished strong without feeling drained. No “long run hangover” — I could’ve gone farther if needed.

Sunday? You guessed it — recovery run. But since Monday was technically my scheduled rest day, I flipped them. Sunday off, Monday on.

Monday’s plan was a 34-minute base run — it felt short. I considered just running an easy 5 miler but decided to stick with the program. II also decided not to look at my watch — pure “run by feel.” The result: 8:57, 8:39, 8:24, and a 7:48 closer for 4.03 miles total at 8:26 pace. Felt great.

Average HR was 139, and the progression got me thinking: maybe cutdowns are more efficient than holding a steady, slower pace. Garmin’s performance condition score even ticked up from +1 to +2 as I sped up. My HR doesn’t rise linearly with faster paces — almost like my mechanics get smoother at speed, offsetting some of the extra effort.

Cooled down quickly, jogged an extra quarter mile, and went about my day like nothing happened. Training is adapting nicely — no zombie fatigue, no body-battery crash, just steady progress. Honestly, it feels pretty good to be enjoying the runs instead of dragging myself around like I used to when I was “in shape” but constantly cooked.

The Garmin Coach Experiment (So Far)

I’m still trying to wrap my head around the Garmin Coach training algorithm.

Sunday: up-tempo long run.
Monday: recovery run — fair enough after Sunday.
Tuesday: threshold workout — a pleasant surprise since those are pretty rare.
Wednesday: 5+ mile base run — normal enough.
Thursday: recovery run — I felt good, but sure, an easy day never hurts.
Friday: recovery run again?

That would’ve been my third recovery run in one week, compared to just one in all of August (and about one a week in July when I was barely getting back into shape). Now, yes, it was my seventh straight day of running, but if the point is rest, why not just suggest a rest day instead of stacking recovery runs? The logic escapes me. I’ve been sleeping decently (well, no worse than usual) and my training load hasn’t been anything crazy.

So, I ignored the watch and ran my own base run instead — 45 minutes, kept it easy for the first three miles (aside from the hill in mile two that always spikes the HR), then gradually picked it up through miles four and five. I ended with 5.36 miles at 8:23 pace and a 142 HR. It felt good overall, though my legs definitely felt a bit flat toward the end. The HR was lower than I’d been averaging earlier this year, but still probably higher than it should be on an easy day. And yet… I can’t help myself. No matter how much I rationalize, I’m still chasing that slightly faster average pace, even when it’s probably counterproductive. 

That said, the Garmin Coach algorithm has been a net positive. I followed it religiously in July and saw my best progress in years. I mostly stuck with it through August and kept improving — faster paces, better fitness, better consistency. Lately I’ve been skipping or tweaking the daily suggestions, but I still plan to follow it (mostly) for the next couple months. The biggest benefit is how it reins me in, which lets me build mileage without burning out.  When I'm honest with myself, I feel that I likely benefit more from 55 minutes at 8:45 pace than 45 minutes at 8:23.

Eventually, I’ll be back on the treadmill (seems like late October is always the tipping point). At that stage, it’ll be easier to keep my effort under control anyway. If I’m fit enough by spring, I may ditch the algorithm all together and go back to running my own way.  For now, I can't argue with the results, and thus the great Garmin coach experiment continues.  

Phantom Pains

Lately I can’t tell if I’ve got a bunch of phantom pains or if the wheels are actually about to fall off. Training’s been going pretty well, and I’ve been careful not to overdo it, so if I end up hurt I’m definitely not going to be a happy camper.

Sunday’s long run threw the first curveball — my right IT band tightened up in the last couple of miles. That spot has been an on-again, off-again nuisance for years. Most of the time it just stays tight and never turns into anything major, but if it flares up it can hang around for months. Thankfully, an easy run on Monday seemed to calm it down, so I’m crossing my fingers that was just a blip.

Then today I headed out for an easy five. Everything was smooth until the last mile, when out of nowhere I felt a sharp pain on the outside of my right ankle/foot. Kept running for a minute hoping it would fade, but instead I was limping. Stopped, stretched, shook it out, and gave it another go. It was still there at first, but after about a quarter mile it loosened up and disappeared. Totally new pain, so here’s hoping it doesn’t decide to stick around.

And just to keep things interesting, my left Achilles has been grumbling too. Weirdly, running doesn’t seem to bother it much, but little stuff does — getting out of bed, climbing stairs, even jumping for a rebound in basketball. No idea what set it off (probably running, let’s be honest), but for now it’s just background noise.

Ah yes, the joys of aging: every day a new body part files a complaint. Hopefully I’m just being a cranky old man imagining worst-case scenarios. Either that, or my body’s in the middle of a slow-motion mutiny. Stay tuned.